Monday, April 29, 2013

Two Charlotte-area basketball stars, one in high school, one in middle school, won MVP at the prestigious Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions Sunday in Atlanta.

Gibbons, the national recruiting analyst, said the tournament attracted 256 total teams and 96 in the featured 17U age group that is for current high school juniors.

Northside Christian's James Demery won the 17U MVP after leading his Team Charlotte AAU team to a 62-46 win over the South Carolina Raptors. Team Charlotte, coached by Northside assistant coach and former North Carolina star point guard Jeff McInnis, reached the AAU national championship game last summer.

In the final, Demery had 20 points and nine rebounds.

"Demery was unstoppable inside and out," Gibbons said. "He's so athletic, a 6-5 (shooting) guard who can do it all."

Demery's high school teammate, 6-5 wing Keyshawn Woods had 11 points and eight rebounds in the final. North Forsyth High point guard Kedrick Flomo, a 6-1 junior, had 12 points and eight assists.

In the 7th grade division, Charlotte's Vaud Worthy led the QCAA Force to a championship. QCAA was 6-0 over 1 1/2 days to win the title. Worthy, a 6-foot guard, is the nephew of former Gastonia Ashbrook High star James Worthy, who went onto become an NCAA championship-winning All-American at North Carolina and an NBA All-Star and NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers. Worthy turned heads in middle school circles last winter when he scored 45 points and had 15 rebounds in his first game at Ranson Middle School.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Charlotte Catholic All-American football star Elijah Hood has committed to Notre Dame. Hood chose Notre Dame over North Carolina. He committed Sunday after returning from a second trip to South Bend, Ind.

Hood, a 6-foot-1, 220-pound junior, said he came close to committing on a visit to Notre Dame in February. After this weekend's second visit, he knew he was ready.

"There are plenty of good schools close by," Hood said Sunday night, "but there's something about Notre Dame. It's a great place with so much history and tradition. They have stuff I couldn't have dreamed of. They wowed me. They took my breath away at times. I knew it was the place."

Hood led Charlotte Catholic to the N.C. 3AA championship game in 2012, when he was named the Charlotte Observer offensive player of the year. Hood rushed for a Mecklenburg County record 3,309 yards and a record 48 touchdowns. He's on pace to set career county rushing marks in both categories in the 2013 season.

In the past two years, Hood has rushed for 5,291 yards and 83 scores. He said he will play running back for the Irish. He had previously been getting recruited at running back and linebacker by a number of Division I schools.

"I thought about the 3,300-something yards and 48 touchdowns I had," he said, "and I said, 'Uh, maybe I should stick to what I'm doing.'"

For the class of 2014, national recruiting service rivals.com ranks 14 players as "five-star," or elite recruits. Hood is listed No. 12.

Hood said he will graduate from Catholic in June 2014 and enroll at Notre Dame shortly after that.

"The process is a crazy process," he said, "and the thing was to get it out of the way as fast I could. I'm ready to move onto other things like finishing high school. It's a great thing."

His father, Vee, a former Catholic star in his own right, said he was comfortable with his son's decision.

"It's the best," Vee Hood said of Notre Dame, "and he wants to be with the best. And you just don't turn down Notre Dame. We had to go up there and see for ourselves and we had to see the type people he'd be around and the coaches he'd be with. Everything is great. Now he can enjoy his senior year.".

Estep said Blazevich picked Georgia over Ole Miss and Clemson. ESPN ranks Blazevich, a 6-foot-5, 228-pound junior, as the 90th overall prospect in the class of 2014. ESPN ranks him as the No. 3 tight end.

Last season, Blazevich caught 30 passes for 379 yards and five touchdowns for Christian, which won the N.C. Independent Schools state championship. He was an all-conference and all-state pick.

He is the third Knight from the class of 2014 to commit to a BCS school, following wide receiver Bo Hines (N.C. State) and tight end/defensive end Garrett Bradbury (N.C. State)

Monday, April 22, 2013

Andy Poplin is the new head boys basketball coach at Hickory High, he told the Observer Monday night.

Poplin, who led Concord to a state title, received unanimous approval from the Board of Education of Hickory's public schools Monday night.

Poplin, 42, replaces Lavell Hall, who coached Hickory for one season. Poplin coached at Mount Pleasant High from 1994-2003 and then coached four season at Concord. He currently teaches elementary school PE in Cabarrus County. He is a Lenoir-Rhyne graduate and is pursuing a master's degree at Charlotte.

"I am thrilled to get the opportunity to return to Hickory after graduating from Lenoir-Rhyne in 1993," said Poplin, a past Charlotte Observer "All-Observer" coach of the year. "Hickory High was always a dream destination for me."

Poplin's teams have won multiple conference and regional championships. His 2006 team at Concord lost 79-75 to Greensboro Dudley in the N.C. 3A state championship game. In 2007, Concord beat Kinston 85-79 for the title. It is Concord's only boys state title.

At Hickory, Poplin takes over a powerhouse program that has nine straight winning seasons. Hickory has won at least 22 games for six straight years.

Hickory princpal Dr. Ann Stalnaker thinks she has the right person to continue the tradition in Poplin, who also coaches Chris Paul's AAU travel team, Team CP3. Poplin coached Chris Paul for five years.

“My goal throughout the process was to find just
the right fit for our players,” HHS principal Dr. Ann Stalnaker said the
news release. “Coach Poplin has the energy and passion for basketball
to motivate our young men’s efforts on the court and in the classroom. We are thrilled to have him join our team at Hickory High.”

CHAPEL HILL—Tad Baucom, the head football coach at Central Academy of Technology and Arts in Monroe, is the third annual recipient of the North Carolina Spirit of Sport Award presented by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.

The NCHSAA is participating in the “Spirit of Sport Award” program sponsored by the National Federation of State High School Associations. It was established to recognize those individuals who exemplify the ideals of the positive spirit of sport that represents the core mission of education-based athletics.

The award is given in recognition of a specific act or an activity of longer duration. Nominees can be a coach, athletic administrator, trainer, student-athlete or any others associated with the school’s athletic program. Baucom’s efforts will be recognized at the NCHSAA Annual Meeting on May 2 at the Smith Center on the campus of the University of North Carolina.

Baucom has been involved in high school athletics since 1978 and has coached at Topsail and Monroe, among other stops. He is currently coaching both football and track and at Central Academy.

Central Academy was playing in its second NCHSAA playoff game in school history against Mount Airy during the 2012 season. According to the nomination information, Baucom and his players had heard about a special needs student who was a member of the Mount Airy team but rarely played. Mount Airy players had even indicated to the Central players to “take it easy and don’t hurt him” if he got in the game.

Baucom had a different idea. Although his team was out of time outs and down 34-14 late in the contest, he asked the officials to stop the game when the player entered the game. Baucom told his team to let the player score without his knowing they were doing so, and then signaled to the Mount Airy bench to give the player the ball. The player in question got the ball and scored on the next play.

Davis Whitfield, NCHSAA commissioner, said, "Coach Baucom’s selfless act speaks volumes to the kind of person he is and the values that we believe are embodied by the spirit of sport. This is a great choice for the award.”

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Charlotte Latin lacrosse player Carter Sheridan won the Legacy Lacrosse Leadership Award at the Legacy Lacrosse Cup Tournament in Atlanta, GA last week.

Sheridan is a junior who has started for two seasons.

The six-year-old tournament has drawn more than 65 teams and 3,000 players from 13 states. One of the highlights of the event is the selection of the Legacy Leadership Award winner from each team.

This award is bestowed upon the player that most personifies the three pillars of the Legacy Lacrosse Cup - Camaraderie, Competitiveness and Character as recognized by their coaches and teammates.

“Carter is an outstanding young man and a very worthy recipient of the Legacy Leadership Award,” Latin coach Dick Sipperly said. “Carter is a tough competitor while at time same time, a caring and friendly teammate. We are proud to have Carter honored with this prestigious leadership award.”

Friday, April 19, 2013

Hough High’s Luke Maye was named to the MaxPreps sophomore All-American team.

He was the only player from the Carolinas selected.

The 6-foot-7 forward was the fourth leading vote getter in the N.C. Associated Press all-state balloting. He averaged 18.9 points, 13.9 rebound and 2.2 assists while leading Hough to an upset over West Charlotte in the N.C. 4A sectional playoff championship game.

Hough advanced to its first N.C. Western Regional before losing to eventual state champion Olympic.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Former Carolina Panthers kicker John Kasay is the new athletics director at Charlotte Christian. He replaces Tom Jamerson, who is resigning.

Kasay will begin July 1.

Kasay spent 21 years in the NFL as a kicker with the Panthers, Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints

Kasay previously served Charlotte Christian as a volunteer on the football staff and in the fine arts department. He has also worked extensively with coaches as a member of the board of directors of Coaches Time Out, an organization that seeks to equip coaches to be positive role-models and mentors for young people, instill positive core values, and ultimately affect and inspire their lives for Jesus Christ.

Kasay received a BA in Journalism in 1993 from the University of Georgia where he was a four-year football letterman for the Georgia Bulldogs. He and his wife, Laura, have four children, two of whom are Charlotte Christian students. They are active members at Forest Hill Church.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Providence High swim coach Sandy Martin and Forest Hills’ Eddie Rivers will receive the 8th Toby Webb N.C. High School Athletic Association coach of the year awards May 2.

The Webb award, named for the NCHSAA Hall of Fame member and former Albemarle football coach, goes to a nominated male and female coach who have 10 years experience and has made major contributions to the success of high school athletics in the school and community.

Martin worked at West Charlotte for three years and Providence for 18. She has also coached cheerleading and tennis. Her swim teams have won 15 state titles. She’s also been active with the American Red Cross for nearly 15 years, teaching hunderds to become lifeguards.

Rivers has been at Forest Hills for 29 years. He’s coached volleyball, basketball, football and softball. He helped establish the N.C. Softball Coaches Associaton and served as its president from 2004-10. Rivers was inducted into the N.C. softball hall of fame in 2010.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Concord High principal Carla Black told the Observer that she has hired George Walker as the Spiders' new boys basketball coach.

Walker, a first-time varsity head coach, replaces Scott Brewer. Brewer was 448-158 in 20 years as a head coach at Concord as well as Central Cabarrus and Mount Pleasant. His 2000 Central Cabarrus team won the N.C. 3A state championship. He led Concord to the 2010 3A state final.

Brewer led the Spiders to four straight Western Regional appearances at one time. Brewer was 160-21 in six seasons at Concord.

Walker was an assistant under Brewer during the 2007-08 season and was junior varsity head coach and varsity assistant in the 2011-12 season.

Walker was also an assistant at Concord under former coach Andy Poplin for five seasons, including a 2007 state championship season. Walker's Concord Middle School team once won four conference titles.

Walker was also a student assistant with the Charlotte 49ers from 1998-02 and was athletics director at Concord for five years.

Currently, Walker is an Algebra I teacher at Concord. Black said Walker has been recognized by the district for his students for achieving high growth in Algebra I.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Two men who led their teams to undefeated seasons and Class 4-A championships are The Associated Press prep basketball coaches of the year in North Carolina.

Ty Baumgardner of Charlotte Olympic won the 2012-13 men's award Thursday and Chris East of Raleigh Millbrook earned the women's award.

Baumgardner received 15 of a possible 22 votes from sports writers across the state. Newton Foard's Rob Bliss was second with four votes after turning around a program that was 5-41 before his arrival two seasons ago, while first-year coach Perry Tyndall of 2-A champ Kinston was the only other coach listed on multiple ballots.

On the women's side, East had 10 votes to five for Kinston's Hubert Quinerly, a second-year coach whose team won a 2-A title in its first finals appearance.